[Federal Register: June 18, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 117)]
[Notices]
[Page 34758-34759]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18jn10-86]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R9-MB-2010-N127] [91200-1231-00WH-M3]
Proposed Information Collection; OMB Control Number 1018-0023;
Migratory Bird Surveys
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We (Fish and Wildlife Service) will ask the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC)
described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and
as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent
burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take
this opportunity to comment on this IC. This IC is scheduled to expire
on February 28, 2011. We may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not
required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.
DATES: To ensure that we are able to consider your comments on this IC,
we must receive them by August 17, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the IC to Hope Grey, Information
Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 222-ARLSQ,
4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail); or hope_
grey@fws.gov (e-mail).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information
about this IC, contact Hope Grey by mail or e-mail (see ADDRESSES) or
by telephone at (703) 358-2482.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703-711) and the Fish and
Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742d) designate the Department of the
Interior as the key agency responsible for (1) the wise management of
migratory bird populations frequenting the United States, and (2)
setting hunting regulations that allow appropriate harvests that are
within the guidelines that will allow for those populations' well-
being. These responsibilities dictate that we gather accurate data on
various characteristics of migratory bird harvest. Based on information
from harvest surveys, we can adjust hunting regulations as needed to
optimize harvests at levels that provide a maximum of hunting
recreation while keeping populations at desired levels.
Under the Migratory Bird Harvest Program, State licensing
authorities collect the name and address information needed to provide
a sample frame of all licensed migratory bird hunters. Since Federal
regulations require that the States collect this information, we are
including the associated burden in our approval request to OMB.
The Migratory Bird Hunter Survey is based on the Migratory Bird
Harvest Information Program, under which each State annually provides a
list of all migratory bird hunters in the State. We randomly select
migratory bird hunters; send them either a waterfowl questionnaire, a
dove and band-tailed pigeon questionnaire, a woodcock questionnaire, or
a snipe, rail, gallinule and coot questionnaire; and ask them to report
their harvest of those species. The resulting estimates of harvest per
hunter are combined with the complete list of migratory bird hunters to
provide estimates of the total harvest of those species.
The Parts Collection Survey estimates the species, sex, and age
composition of the harvest, and the geographic and temporal
distribution of the harvest. Randomly selected successful hunters who
responded to the Migratory Bird Hunter Survey the previous year are
asked to complete and return a postcard if they are willing to
participate in the Parts Collection Survey. We provide postage-paid
envelopes to respondents before the hunting season and ask them to send
in a wing or the tail feathers from each duck or goose they harvest, or
a wing from each mourning dove, woodcock, band-tailed pigeon, snipe,
rail, or gallinule they harvest. We use the wings and tail feathers to
identify the species, sex, and age of the harvested sample. We also ask
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respondents to report on the envelope the date and location of harvest
for each bird. We combine the results of this survey with the harvest
estimates obtained from the Migratory Bird Hunter Survey to provide
species-specific national harvest estimates.
The combined results of these surveys enable us to evaluate the
effects of season length, season dates, and bag limits on the harvest
of each species, and thus help us determine appropriate hunting
regulations.
The Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey is an annual questionnaire
survey of people who obtained a sandhill crane hunting permit. At the
end of the hunting season, we randomly select a sample of permit
holders and ask them to report the date, location, and number of birds
harvested for each of their sandhill crane hunts. Their responses
provide estimates of the temporal and geographic distribution of the
harvest as well as the average harvest per hunter, which, combined with
the total number of permits issued, enables us to estimate the total
harvest of sandhill cranes. Based on information from this survey, we
adjust hunting regulations as needed.
II. Data
OMB Control Number: 1018-0023.
Title: Migratory Bird Surveys.
Service Form Number(s): 3-165, 3-165A, 3-165B, 3-165C, 3-165D, 3-
165E and 3-2056J-N.
Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Affected Public: States and migratory game bird hunters.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: Annually or on occasion.
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Number of annual Number of annual Completion time per Annual burden
Activity respondents responses response hours
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Migratory Bird Harvest 49 686 185 hours.......... 126,910
Information Program.
Migratory Bird Hunter Survey.... 84,200 84,200 4.3 minutes........ 6,034
Parts Collection Survey......... 27,300 140,600 4.5 minutes........ 10,545
Sandhill Crane Harvest Survey... 8,300 8,300 3.5 minutes........ 484
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Totals...................... 119,849 233,786 ................... 143,973
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III. Request for Comments
We invite comments concerning this IC on:
Whether or not the collection of information is necessary,
including whether or not the information will have practical utility;
The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this
collection of information;
Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of
information on respondents.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this IC. Before including your address, phone number,
e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that your entire comment, including your
personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any
time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we
will be able to do so.
Dated: June 11, 2010.
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-14763 Filed 6-17-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-S